The Structures of Globalization (Cultural)

Cultural Globalization
Cultural globalization refers to the

intensification and expansion of
cultural flows across the globe
• Internet and other new
technologies facilitated the
dominant symbolic systems of
meaning to circulate more freely
and widely than ever before.
• Cultural practices frequently escape
fixed localities such as town and
nation, eventually acquiring new
meanings in interaction with
dominant global themes.
Global culture: sameness or difference?
Does globalization make people around the
world more alike or more different?
'Americanization of the world'
Cultural imperialism
'McWorld' - a soulless consumer

capitalism that is rapidly transforming
the world's diverse populations into a
blandly uniform market
• The role of the media
• Global cultural flows are
generated and directed by
global media empires
• Rely on powerful
communication
technologies
• Today, most media analysts concede that the emergence of a
global commercial-media market amounts to the creation of a
global oligopoly similar to that of the oil and automotive
industries in the early part of the 20th century. The crucial
cultural innovators of earlier decades - small, independent
record labels, radio stations, movie theatres,
• newspapers, and book publishers - have become virtually
extinct as they found themselves incapable of competing with
the media giants. The negative consequences of this shotgun
marriage of finance and culture are obvious. TV programmes
turn into global 'gossip markets', presenting viewers and
readers of all ages with the vacuous details of the private lives
of American celebrities like
• Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kobe
Bryant. Evidence suggests that people all over the world – but
especially those from wealthy countries of the Northern
hemisphere - are watching more television than ever before.
• Transnational media enterprises
• secure cultural hegemony of popular culture
• depoliticization of social reality
• weakening of civic bonds
• Media firms are increasingly tempted to
pursue higher profits by ignoring
journalism's much vaunted separation of
newsroom practices and business
decisions.
• Partnerships and alliances between news
and entertainment companies are fast
becoming the norm
Commodification of Culture
• Influenced by globalization
• This is the process by which
cultural products and practices
are assigned a monetary value
and traded on the market. This
can involve the sale of cultural
artifacts, such as traditional
clothing, artwork, or music, as
well as the provision of cultural
experiences, such as tours of
historical sites or performances
of traditional dances.
• The globalization of languages
• a process by which some languages
are increasingly used in international
communication while others lose
their prominence and even
disappear for lack of speakers.
Key variables for the globalization of languages:
1. Number of languages'. The declining number of languages in different parts of
the world points to the strengthening of homogenizing cultural forces.
2. Movements of people'. People carry their languages with them when they
migrate and travel. Migration patterns affect the spread of languages.
3. Foreign language learning and tourism: Foreign language learning and tourism
facilitate the spread of languages beyond national or cultural boundaries.
4. Internet languages: The Internet has become a global medium for instant
communication and quick access to information. Language use on the Internet
is a key factor in the analysis of the dominance and variety of languages in
international communication.
5. International scientific publications: International scientific publications contain
the languages of global intellectual discourse, thus critically impacting
intellectual communities involved in the production, reproduction, and
circulation of knowledge around the world.
• Cultural values and
Environmental dégradation
• How people view their natural
environment depends to a great
extent on their cultural milieu.
• Nature is considered a 'resource'
to be used instrumentally to fulfil
human desires.
• The problem is rooted with the
limitless accumulation of material
possessions.

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Cultural Globalization

Cultural globalization refers to the

'McWorld' - a soulless consumer

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